Coll 28/97 ‘Persia. Diaries. Tehran Intelligence Summaries’ [‎193v] (386/749)

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4. For some time past tension has been evident between Moslems and Bahais,
and this resulted in demonstrations hostile to the Bahais at Senandaj, Hamadan
and Abadeh, as reported in Summary No. 21 , paragraph 8 . This tension may be
used, as it was at Abadeh, to provoke disturbances for political reasons. There
has, in fact, been some increased missionary activity on the part of Bahais of late
to celebrate the opening of the second century of the Bahai faith, and, although
no evidence is as yet available that there has been any notable increase in convert
the greater freedom enjoyed by the Bahais to speak of their faith has probably
frightened the Mullahs, since Islam is a weakening if not dying faith, whose
place might well be taken by Bahaism. Bahaism, with its vague but kindly
philosophy, is agreeable to Persian mentality, and the community has a tradition,
resulting perhaps from years of Oppression, of solidarity and co-operation among
themselves, which contrasts with usual Persian characteristics.
Economic.
5. Dr. Millspaugh has published a statement to the effect that the total
amount of grain collected by the Government since September 1943 is 346,278 tons
and that stocks in Tehran on the 19th May were 31,510 tons. This he considers
to be adequate assurance of the needs of the country until next harvest.
6 . The instruments of ratification of the commercial agreement between
Persia and the United States, which was signed in April 1943, were exchanged
at Washington on the 31st May. The agreement comes into force thirty days
after that date. The text is not yet available, but it is understood that it does not
give discriminatory treatment in favour of the United States. Among Persian
exports to America will be handicraft products, gum and opium, and American
imports to Persia will include motor vehicles, tyres, machinery, lubricants.
7. As has already been reported, when the Soviet authorities forced the
Persian Government to make a contract for the manufacture and supply to Russia
of rifles, automatic pistols and ammunition the question of payment was left
unsettled. The Russians have as yet paid nothing and the cost of operating the
factories has been a very heavy drain on the funds of the Persian Government.
The Prime Minister has stated that he has now some hope that the Russians will
pay at the rate of 1,000 rials per rifle and 3 rials per round of ammunition.
Appointments — Civil.
8 . Sarlashkar Muhammad Hussein Firuz to be Governor-General of Fars.
Persian Forces.
9. In an interview given to the editor of the Ra'di Imruz, a paper closely
connected with Seyyid Zia, Dr. Millspaugh gave the following figures for the
budgets of the Persian forces for the past year :—
Rials.
Army 1,000,000,000
Gendarmerie 298,246,100
Police force 187,000,000
1,485,246,100
He would allot the same gross total for these forces this year, and no more.
It was for the Government to decide how it should be distributed among them;
which force should be decreased and which, if any, increased. He expressed the
opinion that in their present form these forces were superfluous and not worth
the money spent on them. Whatever truth there may be in this, it is not
encouraging to the American advisers who have been working with these forces
for more than a year. The cost of the army considered necessary by General
Ridley is about 1,500 million rials, and of the gendarmerie recommended by
Colonel Schwarzkopf 600 million rials.
A ppointments — Military.
10. Sarlashkar Muhammad Hussein Firuz to command the 6 th (Fars)
Division.
Russian Affairs.
11. A party of Russians with a Russian military escort recently visited
Bushire. They said they were accompanying a member of the Russian Trade
Delegation in Tehran who was enquiring into the possibility of purchasing